I have 2 completly different questions but I would really appreciate any feedback you could have.

1) I have read on the forum a little bit on hyperventilation. This is a problem for me when I have a panic attack : I focus on my breathing and fear it will go "out of control" because of stress. So my question is : what is the worse that can happen with stress induced hyperventilation? you just faint? And after, if you continue hyperventilating what happens? Can you be in serious health trouble because of this or is it a minor problem? I never personnaly had a bad consequence because of hyperventilation (I had depersonnalisation feelings and paresthesia, things like this when I hyperventilated for like 20 minutes but I wonder what would happen if it happened for a longer period of time).

2) I dont know if some people here have major contributing factors for their panic attacks but factors that they know will not change. Many of us have life situations that make us more anxious like stressful job or relationship problems or money trouble but those problems can always be solved. I dont want to get in details here but I have a health problem that is causing me a lot of anxiety(to put it shortly I have been a victim of a medical error and I will suffer -probably only minor but still-health problems for the rest of my life because of this). I just dont know how you can cope with something when you have no hope at all that the situation will change. This is a major contributing factor to my panic attacks and I sometimes feel helpless because I feel like I can not change the situation nor accept it.

Hyperventilation syndrome is a condition brought on by rapid, shallow breathing. It can cause fainting. Hyperventilation can be very alarming because it can appear to be a different, more serious problem, such as an asthma attack or stroke. Once you faint, your respirations slow down and your body returns to it pre-hyperventilation stage.

The rapid, shallow breathing of hyperventilation most often occurs when you are anxious or emotionally upset.

The symptoms of hyperventilation usually progress as follows: shortness of breath or an inability to take a deep breath numbness and tingling of the skin (in the hands or around the mouth) lightheadedness spasms of hands and feet, occasionally fainting.

The treatment for hyperventilation is simple. All you need to do is rebreathe carbon dioxide to get your body's oxygen/carbon dioxide balance back to normal. You can do this by closing your mouth and breathing slowly through your nose. Or for faster results, hold a paper bag tightly around your mouth and breathe in and out several times into the bag until you feel better.

If you are hyperventilating more often or it is getting worse, seeing a counselor might help. A counselor can help you identify and treat the emotional problem that might be causing you to hyperventilate. Reference: Medical/Surgical Text, Williams and Hopper

Regarding your medical problem, try to replace negative thoughts with acceptance thoughts. You cannot turn back time. You can only control your response to what happened and try to move forward from here.

Joining this forum was a huge step in being proactive. I hope that we will be a place of safety and shelter for you to come to and talk about your feelings. Keep on posting!

RespectfullyKitt

Moderator Anxiety ~ Panic Disorders

*~* Not a mental health professional at all *~*Dx: Anxiety/Panic, Depression

******www.healingwell.com/donate******_____________________________________________________"If you doubt you can accomplish something, then you can’t accomplish it. You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.” ~Rosalyn Carter

Im 16 and almost everytime i have a panic attack i have hyperventilation [idk if i spelled it right lol]

i fainted from it once..i was out for about 5mins. and when i came out of it i puked everywhere [eeww..icky]

and the other time it was really bad was the night i made my mom take me to the emergency room because i was convenced i was dying because i felt like i couldnt breath for about 2and a half hours [longest and worst freakin panic attack ever]

but all they did was tell me to calm down and gave me a pill to help me go to sleep and calm my nerves [it was about 3 in the morning]

and they also told me breathing in the steam from a hot shower would help [idk] but i was too paranoid and scared to even be alone long enough to get in the shower..........and..well...hope all my random-ness helped somehow lol